South Dakota vs James Madison Predictions & Odds (Nov. 26)

• James Madison is giving two points to South Dakota in the South Dakota vs James Madison odds on Saturday at the Hostilo Community Classic
• The Dukes rank fourth in college hoops in scoring, and ninth in average margin of victory
• The complete James Madison vs South Dakota State odds and predictions can be found below

Unless you’re a college basketball powerhouse, you better be capable of scoring upwards of 100 points if you plan to keep up with James Madison (5-1).

The Dukes scored in triple figures for the third time already this season on Friday, cruising past Coastal Georgia at the Hostilo Community Classic.

Next up for JMU is a tilt with South Dakota State (3-3), who are fresh off a victory of their own. Online sportsbooks are leaning towards the Dukes in the college basketball odds, in a game with a pretty lofty total.

South Dakota State vs James Madison Odds

Odds as of November 25 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code to bet on the South Dakota State vs James Madison game.

James Madison opened up as 2-point favorites, in a contest with a total of 155.5. Tipoff is set for 12pm ET at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA, with the Dukes chasing their sixth win in seven games so far.

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James Madison Betting Analysis

JMU missed its first seven shots against Coastal Georgia on Friday, but still wound up with 49 points in the opening half. They put up 59 more in the second half, shooting 53.2% from the field along the way.

They dished out 16 assists and gobbled up 46 boards, including 19 at the offensive end. Freshman guard Xavier Brown led the offense a career-high 17 points off the bench, and was one of five Dukes in double-figures.

The team hit just 26% of its threes and only got to the line 15 times, but it didn’t even matter thanks to all the second chance opportunities they earned by owning the glass.

Handled things in the opener ✅

Big one on tap tomorrow at high noon – stay ready!#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/Qv6xU2tC7Y

— JMU Men's Basketball (@JMUMBasketball) November 25, 2022

Defensively, they held their opponent to 35% from the field, while forcing 24 turnovers, but make no mistake offense is JMU’s bread and butter.

The Dukes rank fourth in the nation in scoring, ahead top National Championship odds contenders like Houston, Texas and Gonzaga among others . They’re also top-nine in field goal percentage, and in spite of their dismal effort from 3 on Friday, only seven teams in the nation are more efficient from behind the arc.

The impressive rebounding numbers are no fluke, as James Madison ranks 40th in offensive rebounding percentage. As we’ll discuss later, they should be able to dominate on the boards again on Saturday which will make them awfully tough to overcome.

South Dakota State Betting Analysis

South Dakota State meanwhile, evened their record at 3-3 on Friday by knocking off Valparaiso 61-50. William Kyle led the way with 17 points and six rebounds, while Zeke Mayo chipped in a double-double (11 p, 13 r).

The Jackrabbits shot just 41% from the field and 35.3% from three, but made up for it by clamping down on defense, something they’re not accustom to doing.

WATCH | A big second half effort propels the Jacks to the 61-50 win over Valparaiso.@BeTheBeastBTB#GoJacks 🐰 pic.twitter.com/7xGaMIHNTf

— South Dakota State Jackrabbits (@GoJacksSDSU) November 25, 2022

South Dakota State held the Beacons to 36.7% from the field and 23.1% from three. They entered the game as the nation’s 243rd ranked scoring defense, while ranking 251st in opponent shooting percentage. That spells trouble against JMU, as does their weak rebounding numbers.

The Jackrabbits rank 142nd in defensive rebounding, and 363rd (aka dead last in D-1) on the offensive glass. They also turn the ball over at one of the highest rates in the country, which should lead to even more easy buckets for the Dukes.

South Dakota vs James Madison Prediction

The stats suggest this is a mismatch and the betting trends do as well. South Dakota State is 0-3 ATS in their last three outings versus teams ranked inside the top-140, and JMU checks in at #80 per KenPom.

The Dukes boast the nation’s ninth best average margin of victory (+23.3 points) and have easily covered against every opponent they’ve faced this season except #1 North Carolina.

Given JMU’s significant scoring and rebounding advantage, they should be able to find another cover against the Jackrabbits as well.

Pick: James Madison Dukes -2(-110)